Trump Says He’s Not Weird, Then Gets Extra Weird About It
One Democratic line of attack seems to be getting under Donald Trump’s skin as the former president yet again denied that he’s weird.
He feels so strongly on the topic that he used the word “weird” 11 times in 40 seconds during a town hall event in Wisconsin on Thursday.
It started when the former president attacked Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has used the word to describe Trump, running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and others on the right.
“He is weird,” Trump said. “He’s weird, I’m not weird, he’s weird. No, he’s a weird guy, he’s a weird dude.”
Trump continued:
“See, they come up with sound bites, they always have sound bites, and one of the things is that JD and I are weird. That guy is so straight, JD is so, he’s doing a great job, smart, top student, great guy, and he’s not weird and I’m not weird. I mean we’re a lot of things but we’re not weird I will tell you, but that guy is weird.”
Walz has said he uses weird to describe Trump, Vance and others on the right to take away the fear that helps give them power.
“The fascists depend on fear,” he said in July. “But we’re not afraid of weird people. We’re a little bit creeped out, but we’re not afraid.”
The word ― which others on the left have started using as well ― has clearly become a sore spot for Trump, as he now frequently launches into asides where he denies being weird.
“They’re the weird ones,” Trump said during a radio interview earlier this month. “I’m a lot of things, but weird, I’m not.”
He has brought it up at rallies as well.
“No, we’re not weird,” he said in Montana. “We’re very solid people.”
Trump’s critics found his latest denial less than convincing:
How weird is it to say you are not weird? https://t.co/vsMICQ2iyB
— Slowmoto Me (@SlowmotoMe) August 30, 2024
They’re still so mad. #MAGAIsWeirdhttps://t.co/qNQ8BzBrfTpic.twitter.com/0LcWNs4aL6
— The Millennial Snowflake ???? (@Teh_Snowflake) August 30, 2024
You don’t need to be Freud to figure this one out https://t.co/QHTmsuv37o
— Tero Kuittinen (@teroterotero) August 30, 2024
Saying you're not weird, is objectively, #WeirdAFhttps://t.co/cFPYRAVAAH
— Minnesota Man (@MinnesotaMan22) August 30, 2024
“We are a lot of things, but we are not weird.”
When your opponent keeps calling you weird and now you have to remind everyone you’re not weird which sounds even weirder.
Kamala Harris’s team is the best at messaging. https://t.co/jPLXQQmXqN— Dr. Janet Johnson (@janetnews) August 30, 2024
Totally normal https://t.co/yhE4z6z7Ji
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 30, 2024
Calling him weird bothers him more than calling him a rapist or a racist.
That’s definitely weird ??♂? https://t.co/jZpLlxdJSx— vienners (@vienners) August 30, 2024
One thing cutting against Trump’s case is the fact that Tim Walz talks about the importance of gutter maintenance while Trump is a bizarre freak with pink little troll eyes and pancake makeup that appears to be troweled on who hugs flags and wears his tie down to his balls. https://t.co/yKHWsk5asa
— A.R. Moxon (@JuliusGoat) August 30, 2024
Such a weird answer.
— Machine Pun Kelly ???? (@KellyScaletta) August 30, 2024
https://t.co/UfXfjyBftspic.twitter.com/BWxIZXtR3B
— Joey Hannum (@joeyhannum) August 30, 2024
We've gotta get him and the "I'm not a witch" lady together https://t.co/Auj5FXZhOS
— Gerrit Ritt (@GerritRitt) August 30, 2024